(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to testing apparatuses.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Accompanying the approach of aging societies and the progress in deciphering genome information, the form of conducting medical tests is shifting from the conventional concentrated blanket testing at a test center to a distributed testing, so-called “POC (Point-of-Care) testing” that is at the end of medical scene such as at an infirmary 1 in a municipality or at the home of an individual who undergoes the test. JP-A-9-101998 discloses a home-care system that comprises a television-based interaction apparatus. With this system, information relating to blood pressure, pulse and the like is first gathered by an inspection machine installed at the home of the subject. The gathered information is then sent to a medical institution through a digital public line. A data processing apparatus in the medical institution then assesses the information in question, and if an abnormality exists therein, medical guidance is provided using a connection between a television-based interaction apparatus in the medical institution and the television-based interaction apparatus in the home of the subject. JP-A-10-28678 discloses a home-based health monitoring service that connects an inspection machine installed in the home of a subject with a monitoring apparatus located in a university hospital or monitoring center through a communication line, and carries out accurate monitoring of glycosuria assay data that is gathered by the inspection machine.
However, the above described known examples are testing systems that are limited to home-based treatment of diabetes and high blood pressure and the like, and are not adequate for use as systems that require advanced analysis.
For example, the above systems cannot be applied to POC testing within a hospital, typified by blood testing. The term “POC testing within a hospital” refers to the situation where testing such as blood testing, that has been conventionally conducted using a large-scale automatic testing apparatus (in a large hospital), is simply and conveniently conducted by means of a small-size testing apparatus.
Heretofore, tests requiring advanced analysis and the ensuing counseling and diagnosis process and the like based on the test results meant that it was necessary for a subject to visit a large-scale hospital or the like. Thus, the burden on the subject was significant.
The present invention relates to a testing apparatus that conducts testing using devices and facilities that are distributed among several locations to realize advanced testing and high quality treatment.